Cooking Instant Pot broccoli is the quickest and most effortless way to prepare tender-crisp, healthy vegetables for any meal. Steaming broccoli in the Instant Pot locks in nutrients while ensuring a perfect texture—never too mushy or undercooked. With our fail-proof tips and easy recipe, you’ll master how to steam vegetables in the Instant Pot with consistent, delicious results every time.
It can be challenging to find a quick and healthy side dish that’s both easy to make and full of flavor—but with this Instant Pot steamed broccoli, you’ll have a nutritious option ready in just 10 minutes! This method keeps them fresh, vibrant, and perfectly tender-crisp, making it the ideal addition to any meal.
Learning how to make steamed broccoli in the Instant Pot will save you time in the kitchen while ensuring your vegetables are cooked to perfection without becoming mushy. Steaming it in the Instant Pot preserves nutrients better than boiling and requires minimal effort. Whether you’re meal prepping, adding it to your favorite dishes, or serving it as a simple side, this steamed broccoli Instant Pot method makes healthy eating effortless!
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Why We Love This Instant Pot Steamed Broccoli Recipe
- It’s the healthiest way to cook vegetables!
Baking and sautéing damages the exterior and destroys nutrients. Boiling lets all of the healthy stuff leak into the water. But steaming broccoli keeps those vitamins intact without adding any extra fat! - It’s quicker than other cooking methods.
Not only is this the best way to steam broccoli, but it’s also the fastest—most of the time this recipe is just waiting for a natural pressure release! - It’s adaptable and versatile.
Frozen or fresh, either way, the Instant Pot steamed broccoli will come out great! You can use this recipe as a guide on how to steam vegetables in the Instant Pot of all shapes, sizes, and colors. This method is truly universally applicable!
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Broccoli – You can use either fresh or frozen. Trim to just the florets, and let frozen broccoli thaw a bit under running water before pressure cooking. Otherwise, you’ll need to add a bit of time to the pressure cooker.
- Salt – Salting the water is an easy way to flavor any steamed vegetables. Add extra seasonings of your choosing. Black pepper is always great, while a little bit of garlic, thyme, and lemon juice elevate things—if you’re feeling fancy!
🎯 TFN Pro Tip
When selecting broccoli, choose heads that are firm, have tight florets, and are a deep green color, avoiding any with yellowing or wilting.
To clean it thoroughly, soak it in a bowl of cold water with a splash of vinegar for a few minutes to remove dirt and pests. After soaking, rinse it under cold running water and gently scrub the florets with a vegetable brush.
Finally, pat dry with a clean towel before cooking or storing it.
Recipe Variations
Steamed broccoli Instant Pot is delicious on its own, but picky eaters might not think so! In this case, we have a couple of suggestions on how to make broccoli taste good, even to those with a veggie aversion:
- Velveeta cheese sauce: It’s a familiar taste we know and love! It almost makes this taste like broccoli and cheddar soup.
- Bechamel cheese sauce: This is a super simple, delicious homemade white cheddar sauce. It’s so quick you can even make it while the broccoli is steaming!
- Finally, steamed broccoli could benefit from a simple topping of parmesan cheese or melted butter.
New to Instant Pot Cooking?
Read How to Use the Instant Pot 101 first! Then, check out our Instant Pot cooking guide. That post is terrific for new owners and seasoned IP-ers alike!
Equipment Used in This Recipe
- Instant Pot (or any electric pressure cooker)
- Steamer basket
Want to cook other veggies in your pressure cooker?
Try our Instant Pot beans recipe and vegetable rice pilaf recipes next!
How to Make Steamed Broccoli Instant Pot
- Rinse the florets.
Rinsing the broccoli before steaming removes any dirt or debris. No need for extra dishes – place the florets right in the basket and run it under tap water.
- Pour hot water into the pressure cooker pot.
Using hot water will help your IP come to pressure faster, saving you even more time! Finally, salt the water before you begin to season the broccoli during the steaming process.
- Shock the steamed broccoli to stop the cooking.
Even after the pressure releases, the veggies are hot – use pot holders to remove the basket! Rinse the florets immediately under cold water. Otherwise, they’ll continue to cook and soften before you can take your first bite!
Serving Suggestions
This Instant Pot broccoli recipe is a versatile and easy side dish that pairs well with a variety of meals. Serve it tender crisp alongside roasted sweet potatoes and grilled chicken for a balanced, nutritious plate. For extra flavor, drizzle it with olive oil and a squeeze of lemon juice, or sprinkle it with feta cheese for a Mediterranean twist. It’s also a great addition to a broccoli salad, adding freshness and texture. If you love warm, comforting dishes, use this as a base for a broccoli cheddar soup, blending it with cheese for a creamy and hearty meal. Add these easy sides for almost any dinner; this steamed broccoli is a quick and delicious choice for chicken rice bowls.
Recipe FAQs
It takes a total of 8 minutes to steam broccoli in an Instant Pot. 7 minutes of that time is bringing the IP to pressure and allowing for a natural release of pressure. They continue to steam during the process, so the timer is set to 0 minutes!
This is for tender-crisp broccoli. Add another minute if you’d like it softer.
Yes, because the water level needs to be below whatever it is you’re trying to steam, you’ll need a steamer basket to elevate the food.
If you have a steamer basket that isn’t designed for your Instant Pot, you might need a trivet to hold it up out of the water. Some baskets have feet, allowing them to be placed directly in the water. Either way, a basket is a must!
Reheating veggies will always cook them a little more and also make them softer. Because this recipe is so quick, we recommend cooking a fresh batch instead!
But if you do have leftovers, store them in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can either reheat the vegetables in the microwave or with a little water on the stovetop. Ironically, it will take too long to reheat already cooked broccoli in the Instant Pot… it’ll end up mushy too.
That being said, there are other simple ways you can use leftover cooked vegetables! Add them to a pot of bean and ham soup, toss them into a pineapple chicken rice bowl, or bulk up the nutrition in chicken fried rice.
Once you master the art of steaming vegetables in your pressure cooker, the possibilities are boundless! What other healthy sides will be on your dinner menu this week?
More Vegetable Recipes To Love…
If you tried this steamed broccoli Instant Pot recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Instant Pot Broccoli
Equipment
- Instant Pot - or any electric pressure cooker
- steamer basket
Ingredients
- 3 cups broccoli florets fresh or frozen
- 1 cup hot water *hot water helps the IP come to pressure faster
- 1 teaspoon salt or more/less, to taste
Instructions
- Add broccoli florets to a steamer basket; rinse with tap water and drain.
- Pour the water and add salt into the pressure cooker pot. Set the steamer basket of broccoli on the bottom of the inner pot of the pressure cooker. NOTE: *If your steamer basket isn't specifically meant for use in a pressure cooker, you may need to place it onto a trivet to hold it above the water. Some baskets have feet, so they can be placed directly into the water.
- Place the lid on the IP and set it to "seal". Manually set Instant Pot to cook on high pressure for 0 minutes for tender but firm broccoli. (The vegetables will steam during pressurizing time).Use 1 minute for softer cooked broccoli. Turn the venting lever to close or seal, if needed.
- When pressure cooking is done (listen for the long beep), use a quick release by carefully turning the lever or pressing the pressure release button. Use pot holders to remove the steamer basket. Rinse the broccoli under cold water to prevent it from overcooking, and drain before serving.
- Season with salt, pepper, or other seasoning of choice.If you have picky veggie eaters, serve their steamed broccoli smothered in Velveeta cheese sauce or white bechamel cheese sauce!
Notes
- Velveeta cheese sauce – It’s a familiar taste we know and love! It almost makes this taste like broccoli and cheddar soup.
- Bechamel cheese sauce – This is a super simple, delicious homemade white cheddar sauce. It’s so quick you can even make it while the broccoli is steaming!
- Finally, a simple topping of parmesan cheese or melted butter could make steamed broccoli easier to eat.
- Reheating veggies will always cook them a little more and also make them softer. Because this steamed broccoli recipe is so quick, we recommend cooking a fresh batch instead!
- But if you do have leftovers, store them in an airtight container for up to 5 days. You can either reheat the vegetables in the microwave or with a little water on the stovetop. Ironically, it will take too long to reheat already cooked broccoli in the Instant Pot… it’ll end up mushy too.
- That being said, there are other simple ways you can use leftover cooked vegetables! Add them to a pot of bean and ham soup, toss them into a pineapple chicken rice bowl, or bulk up the nutrition in chicken fried rice.
Nutrition
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Harriet Young says
So easy to make perfect broccoli! It was crisp and delicious. Thanks!
Sue says
Love this Renae, but especially love those cheese sauces ~ yikes they’re good!
Kristine says
Thank you for this! This is my new go-to way to cook broccoli.